Posted on 10/23/2004 8:26:21 AM PDT by ride the whirlwind
Political thuggery is on the rise in America. Because most of it is directed at the right, the legacy media does not find the trend towards organized political violence of much interest, beyond briefly noting individual incidents, particularly if videotape happens to be available. That is why the wave of attacks on Bush-Cheney campaign offices and supporters, including bullets fired, has not inspired front page articles all across America.
A thought experiment: imagine that all across America offices of the NAACP or Planned Parenthood were attacked. Do you really think that the New York Times would not feature the campaign with numerous front page articles, while the editorial page thundered against the violence?
The latest wrinkle comes in the guise of pie attacks. Thursday night, high-profile writer Ann Coulter was assaulted by two men while speaking at the University of Arizona. The rushed at her and each threw a pie in her direction. The incident was captured on home video. It has received a certain amount of play, therefore. The miscreants were arrested and now face charges. Ironically, the most serious among their criminal liabilities relates to damaging the black muslin scrim backdrop, which, because of the $3000 in damage, qualifies them for felony charges. For attacking Ann herself, and attempting to silence her political speech, they only face misdemeanor charges of assault and disorderly conduct.
Make no mistake, throwing a pie at a speaker in front of a crowd is no prank. It is an attempt to intimidate and humiliate the speaker. It thus has a chilling effect on future political speech. If there is an established danger of getting a pie in the face, how many people will be willing to go in front of audiences? Who wants to have clothes and hair ruined, and become an object of laughter? Who wants to have pictures forever living on the internet, of wiping goo off face and hair, looking ridiculous, like a wet puppy, only funnier?
The damage to our political culture of this chill on free speech far exceeds the cost of a piece of muslin cloth, or even the entire auditorium where the speech took place.
This morning on Fox & Friends Saturday, guest host Mike Gallagher, a radio talk show host himself, revealed that he had spoken Friday in State College Pennsylvania, as a counter-speaker to Michael Moore, who had been paid $30,000 to speak to students. He revealed that a campus group had offered a bounty of $1500 to anyone who could hit him in the face with a pie. This seems like a clear-cut incitement to violence. No details were offered, but I cannot understand how law enforcement would not immediately move to arrest someone publicly offering money for the commission of an act of violence.
Astonishingly, regular program host Julian Phillips remarked that he always finds pies “funny.” He quickly backed away from any implication that he was advocating attacks, but he repeated the word “funny.”
I was appalled.
As I grew up and studied history, I struggled to understand how it was that a modern and cultured nation like Germany could descend into Nazi barbarism. How could ordinary Germans just stand by and let the Nazi madmen take power? I came to the conclusion that organized political violence had a lot to do with it. The opponents of the Nazis did not dare speak up because they feared for their safety.
We are on a slippery slope if America tolerates political violence. It is a crime against democracy and liberty. The specifics of the weapons involved are less important than the intent to use violence as a political weapon.
If the worst charge that can be brought against the wielder of political pie-in-the-face is a misdemeanor – unless he is unlucky enough to damage the scenery – then we need new laws. Stealing or damaging property is a less serious crime than creating an atmosphere of fear in the political discourse.
If we do not defend our free speech rights, we will surely lose them.
I was just checking to see if this had been posted!! thanks!! hes right....we republicans deserve what we get if we dont START STANDING UP for each other and STOP being polite and mannered as we were raised and take off the gloves and give them BACK what they do to us...Voter fraud all this crazy lying about SS and the draft etc, all the nutz on tvs ranting and hollering liar at war heros....its time to draw a line in the sand and lock n load if you ask me!!...
Maybe we'll get lucky, and one of those apes will try a pie attack on G. Gordon Liddy or a like-minded conservative. (I say "lucky" because it'll be the last pie attack they ever try.)
Ha! You might have something there!
They'll get off with a slap on the wrist (if that). The same evening, in Flagstaff, AZ, Republican Party Headquarters was broken into and thoroughly trashed. Local rag, Flagstaff Arizona Daily Sun encourages violence, says it's OK because both sides do it which is pure and utter horse pucky but typical of the source. In other Arizona news, Republican Party HQ in Havasu City received a bomb threat Friday morning. Arizona under attack from Leftists? Naah! Nothing to see here folks, move along, move along.
We've never seen an election like this one is shaping up to be. Fasten your seat belts!
(Shaking my head)
There is a word for what you have described in your article, it is "terrorism". Whether it is being done on a large scale by the Nazis, the Viet Cong, the terrorists of 9/11, the terrorists in Iraq, or on a smaller scale as the KKK did, or those on an even much smaller scale, FOR NOW, who trash RNC offices and intimidate people in voting lines.
Good point. In fact, I've added "terrorism" to the Keywords.
"There is a word for what you have described in your article, it is "terrorism". Whether it is being done on a large scale by the Nazis, the Viet Cong, the terrorists of 9/11, the terrorists in Iraq, or on a smaller scale as the KKK did, or those on an even much smaller scale, FOR NOW, who trash RNC offices and intimidate people in voting lines."
Don't forget: that extends to pie throwing, as well. We need to stop the insanity, or the leftists will win this election. If they win it, America not only HAS lost, but IS lost. God help us if sKerry ever gets in the WH.
Doesn't this qualify as a hate crime committed against a woman?
Early voting brings cries of bullying--"Democrat Thugs flooding Florida Polls"
Bush/Cheney Headquarters in Cincinnati Robbed
Windows smashed at Bush campaign headquarters (Portland, Ore.)
Ann Coulter Target Of Pie-Throwing Leftists During Campus Speech
To my thinking it certainly does.
Ann Coulter told Sean Hannity on his radio show that other members of the audience chased these mooks down and beat the crap out of them after they threw their pies at her. I was pleased to hear that - that may be the worst punishment they get.
I'd imagine that the media out there is probably shreiking about them getting beaten up by the crowd, howling about "thuggery" and "mob rule." Talk about out-of-hand projection.
Okay, I've read many, many times about articles having already been posted. What does that mean? Is it just bad form? Is it something to do with space on the server? Some people get downright upset that an article has already been posted. I don't unnnnderstannnnd... Please explain to me why it's such a hot potatoe.
Damn why can't I live in one of these districts?
HAVE COT AND GUN. WILL TRAVEL.
Like the title says - CHILLING
We simply cannot accept the intimidation and thuggery that are going on now, or it will get steadily worse and have profound effects. When that happens, America is lost and will become the next Nazi Germany.
The fundamental principle of intimidation of any sort is to isolate the victim, psychologically and physically. Isolation leads the victim to feel that they cannot fight back and the intimidator almost always wins. This principle works on a cultural level as well as a personal level. With the leftist media in lockstep with the left and actively participating in the psychological bullying of the right across the entire country, the sense of isolation becomes even more profound.
The antidote to all this is for the intended victims to organize quickly, think about responses, and fight back as a unit. There are many things that can be legally done, but it will take organization and a firm determination on the part of people who oppose this to fight back. All of this is going to require a quick strike, because these episodes happen without warning, then the perpetrators move on to another tack. Before we know it, the election will be lost to organized thugs and bullies because we didn't react soon enough and well enough.
I am fully prepared and have the equipment to drive to Florida and become part of a convoy taking voters to the polls from central dropoff points, and videotaping and photographing events at the polling places from the relative safety of my vehicle. Voters need to organize and go to the polls in groups if that adds to their sense of safety.
Every neighbor you take to the polls with you to increase their and your sense of security strikes a blow for freedom. And if you can take pictures or get audiotapes of thuggery, you will have truly struck a blow for freedom.
Forewarned is forearmed, people, so let Florida be a warning to the country. Expect this everywhere and anywhere and be prepared for it.
I don't think this person was saying it had been already posted. I think she meant that she was about to post it but then saw this one. :-)
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